Tackling barriers to using human waste derived fertilisers in supporting sustainable food production in the UK

实现全球粮食安全是我们今后几年将面临的一项重大挑战。大多数作物需要土壤才能生长，这是一种有限的资源，需要仔细管理和保护，以确保其肥力的连续性。必须保持土壤有机质，以确保化肥无法提供的肥力。低收入国家面临的一个主要问题是获得卫生设施以及安全处理和处置粪便污泥。据估计，撒哈拉以南非洲65%至100%的卫生设施是由现场卫生系统提供的，这些系统需要清空以及适当的处理和处置，以防止公共卫生和环境危害。人类排泄物由有机物组成，含有基本的植物营养素;因此，将其回收到土地上可以解决土壤肥力和卫生问题。Loowatt是一家英国企业，他们的新型干式厕所与产生人类废物衍生肥料（HWDF）的处理系统相结合，以实现营养物质的充分循环并产生收入。事实证明，肥料是无病原体的，对土壤和作物有积极影响。然而，在高收入和低收入国家，HWDF的商业化都存在障碍，主要是由于围绕这些肥料的法规不明确。Loowatt正在为他们在马达加斯加的HWDF制定商业化战略，但他们面临着一些障碍。欧盟和英国对HWDF的使用规定不明确，这导致欧洲市场在购买马达加斯加等低收入国家使用HWDF种植的农产品时持谨慎态度。因此，为了克服这一障碍，本项目建议首先让主要利益攸关方参与进来，以找出进口使用高水分发酵粉种植的农产品的障碍所在。随后将制定一项计划，为HWDF提供质量保证。英国制定了生物固体保证计划（BAS），以确保其在土地上的回收是透明的，并受到外部控制。该项目建议，可以为直接从旱厕的人类排泄物中提取的肥料制定类似的计划。与欧盟和英国参与化肥政策制定的主要个人和组织合作，更具体地说，将进行分析，以确定使用HWDF的障碍。这将涉及国际组织，如粮食及农业组织（粮农组织）或欧盟委员会，生产商，进口商，农民和私人标准制定组织。通过这项分析，我们将确定需要提供哪些科学证据来改变围绕HWDF的观念和法规，以及证明使用这一宝贵资源的有效性和安全性所需的参数列表。然后将设计一个收集和提供这些证据的计划，并使用卢瓦特的肥料进行相应的分析。利益相关者分析沿着与制定BAS的英国专家的协商，将有助于起草HWDF特定的保证计划。然后将汇总分析结果，并作为讨论接受HWDF的潜在政策变化的基础。这将是迈向人类废物管理的可持续和循环经济的重要一步，有助于减少与化肥生产有关的化石燃料消耗，并有助于改善或保持土壤养分枯竭的国家的土壤健康。该项目的结果将直接使Loowatt受益，为消除肥料商业化的障碍铺平道路，并通过增加农民，农艺师和作物买家对使用HWDF的信心而受益。

Achieving food security worldwide is a major challenge we will face in coming years. The majority of crops produced require soil to grow, a finite resource that needs to be carefully managed and preserved to ensure continuity in its fertility. It is necessary to maintain soil organic matter to ensure fertility which is not provided by chemical fertilisers. A major issue facing low income countries is access to sanitation and safe treatment and disposal of faecal sludge. It is estimated that between 65% and 100% of sanitation in Sub Saharan Africa is provided by on-site sanitation systems, which require emptying as well as appropriate treatment and disposal to prevent public health and environmental hazards. Human waste is made up of organic matter and contains essential plant nutrients; its recycling into land can therefore provide a solution to both soil fertility and sanitation issues. Loowatt is a UK enterprise trying to achieve exactly that with their novel dry toilet combined with a treatment system that produces human waste derived fertilisers (HWDF) in order to achieve full recycling of nutrients and generate revenue.It has been shown that fertilisers, which are pathogen-free and have a positive effect on soil and crops can be produced from human waste. There are however barriers to commercialising HWDF both in high and low income countries mainly due to unclear regulations surrounding these fertilisers. Loowatt are developing a commercialisation strategy for their HWDF in Madagascar but they are faced with several barriers. EU and UK regulations are unclear on the use of HWDF, which results in European markets being cautious when buying produce grown using HWDF in low income countries like Madagascar. In order to overcome this barrier it is therefore proposed in this project first to engage key stakeholders to find out where the barriers to importing produce grown using HWDF lie. This will be followed by creating a scheme to provide quality assurance for HWDF. In the UK the Biosolids Assurance Scheme (BAS) was developed to ensure that its recycling into land is transparent and subject to external controls. This project proposes that a similar scheme can be developed for fertilisers derived directly from human waste from dry toilets. Working with the main individuals and organisations involved in policy-making on fertilisers and more specifically organic fertilisers in the EU and the UK, an analysis will be conducted to identify the obstacles to the use of HWDF. This will involve international organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) or the European Commission, producers, importers, farmers and private standard setting organisations. From this analysis, we will identify what scientific evidence needs to be provided to change the perception and regulations around HWDF and a list of parameters needed to prove the effectiveness and safety of use of this valuable resource. A plan to gather and provide this evidence will then be devised and analyses carried out accordingly using Loowatt's fertilisers. The stakeholder analysis along with consultation with UK experts that developed the BAS will enable drafting a HWDF-specific assurance scheme. Results of the analyses will then be assembled and serve as basis for discussions for potential policy changes towards the acceptance of HWDF. This would be a significant step towards a sustainable and circular economy of human waste management, contributing towards reducing fossil fuel consumption related to fertiliser production as well as towards improving or maintaining soil health in countries where nutrient depleted soils are too widespread. The results from this project will directly benefit Loowatt by setting the path to eliminating a barrier to commercialising their fertilisers and will also benefit farmers, agronomists and crop buyers by increasing their confidence in using HWDF.